Resident Evil: Don't Follow Me (One Shot)
by bgshepard
Summary: Two lovers on opposite sides of the law and now DSO Agent Leon S. Kennedy finds himself in pursuit of his love interest Ada Wong - the spy who has stolen the unstable T-Veronica Virus. How far is each one willing to go to complete their mission? What will happen if they get in each other's way? This story takes place 2 months after Resident Evil 6 and is a prequel to RE: Vengeance.


*****Author's Note: Rated 13 and Over - Contains strong language. Ada Wong, Leon Kennedy, Ingrid Hunnigan, and Helena Harper are property of CAPCOM.*****

**Resident Evil: Don't Follow Me**

**Rail Yard District – Washington, DC**

**August 23****rd**** 2013**

**23:45 EST**

"Hunnigan, do you have eyes on?" Leon asked as he ran for the end of the street.

"Tracking her right now, Leon," Ingrid Hunnigan replied over the radio. "Satellite imaging shows she's on foot heading east on Stambaugh Avenue and… wait! Suspect has just entered Tully's Construction Warehouse next to the train tracks."

Helena Harper's voice cut in. "That's about three blocks from where my team and I are located. We'll move in and secure…"

Leon had already calculated the distance to this warehouse – he was the closest. "I'm less than a block away. I'll move in to intercept the suspect while Helena's team provides backup."

"Leon, no! Wait for us before moving in." Helena replied. He could hear the worry in her voice, and he could understand why – especially considering that both she and he had an idea of whom it was they were chasing.

"There's no time, Helena. I'm in charge of the ground operation. Be ready to back me up once you get there."

Hunnigan's voice broke through the chatter. "Leon, this is **_your_** mission. Get in there and find the suspect. Helena's team will provide support."

"Helena?" Leon asked, wanting to make sure she was on the same page.

Finally she responded. "Roger that; we're on our way. Just… be careful, Leon."

"I will," he replied.

"A final reminder to all teams," Hunnigan began." The suspect is in possession of the T-Veronica virus. Take extreme care to make sure the sample is not ruptured or damaged in any way. We just finished defusing the Lanshiang and Tall Oaks bio-terrorist attacks; we can't afford another incident right here in DC."

After all acknowledgements had been made, Leon turned right and sprinted down Stambaugh Avenue. The warehouse sat off to the right nearly one hundred yards away next to the railroad tracks. Running down an embankment, he made his way past the parking lot and up the steps leading to a side entrance. He went to the door and noticed that the lock had been forced. **_She_** had passed through here.

Turning on the flashlight to his Beretta, he placed his hand on the door knob. With a deep breath, he pushed open the door and stepped inside the building. A few of the overhead lights were still on, but for the most part, the warehouse was dark… and quiet. Where had she gone?

"Hunnigan, Helena; I've made my way inside the warehouse. No sign of the suspect yet, but she definitely passed through here," he whispered."

"Copy that, we'll be there in five minutes… if we don't get held up behind another damned train barricade!" Helena said with frustration building in her voice.

Just then, Leon heard the loud horn of a train on approach.

"Hunnigan, how many trains are making their way through this district?"

"This is the busiest time of night, Leon," came her reply. "Most of the businesses in that area don't keep hours after eleven P.M. as a result. Helena's team is currently held up behind one on Spruce Street. If you can… bzzztzzz…"

Static began to disrupt communications. Leon put his hand to his receiver. "Hunnigan, repeat your last!"

It was too late, the loud horn was deafening as the train passed by the building. The rumbling it produced sounded as if an earthquake was heading in his direction. The few lights that were shining began to swing from the vibration and started to flicker. The horn erupted again. _So familiar…_ This time the noise seemed to echo all throughout his head. As the lights of the train flashed by the windows of the building, the images he had been trying hard to suppress for the past two months began to flood him. _Tall Oaks… President Benford… The subway…_ _China… The train… Helena… Simmons…Ada…The train…_ Each image ran through his mind and began to drown out all other thoughts.

He hadn't told anyone, but for three days after Lanshiang, he hadn't slept at all. Once he and Helena had made it back to the States however, that was when the nightmares had begun… and they had continued. Fighting the C-Virus like he had done – there had been so many times that he should have died, but hadn't. The current situation wasn't making this any easier. The horn sounded again. _The train…_ He then noticed that his breathing had begun to increase. It had been subtle at first to where he hadn't paid it any mind, but now he was panting. His brow was beginning to drip with sweat. _No, it was just from the run here, that's all. Once I find her I can…_

The sound was almost indistinguishable from the roar of the train, but he had heard it. The low, deep growl began to make his skin goose-prickle. Slowly turning around, Leon aimed his gun toward the source. His eyes went wide with shock… and terror. 'It' was standing there amidst the flickering of the lights. Its body was in the shape of the long dinosaur-like creature that **_'he'_** had turned into back in China. Snarling, he could see not only the saliva ooze from the creature's face but also the hate and malice in its eyes. With a roar, the monster charged straight at him – teeth razor sharp gnawing for his flesh.

**_"LEEEOOON!"_** It screamed in that warped, unearthly voice – the voice of a dead man.

He froze and quickly closed his eyes. _No – he's dead! Simmons is dead! There's… there's nothing there!_

When he opened his eyes, the train had passed, and the area was beginning to grow quiet once more. The overhead lights had stopped swinging, and they revealed the truth that deep down he had known – Simmons wasn't there. Nothing was coming for him.

Leon took a deep breath to calm his beating heart. Suddenly, there was the sound of metal hitting the floor followed by heeled shoes running in the distance. Readjusting, he quickly turned and caught a glimpse of red in the beam of his flashlight. **_She_**_ was wearing red._

"Ada?" He called out as he began his pursuit of her. "Ada, wait!"

In the far distance of the warehouse, he could hear her voice call out to him. "Don't follow me, Leon."

After China, he hadn't heard anything from her since she had left him the helicopter and evidence to clear both his and Helena's names with the authorities. Why she was attempting to steal such a dangerous and unstable virus was beyond anything he could fathom. If her intent was to sell it on the black market… No, he couldn't allow that to happen. Regardless of how he felt about her, it was up to him. **_He_** had to stop her.

Moving as quickly as he could, he found his way toward the back of the building. There were offices, cabinets… and a maintenance room with the door ajar. With gun in hand, Leon kicked open the door to the small room. There was nothing inside save an open hatch. Peering down, he noticed that the passageway seemed to connect to the maintenance tunnels below.

"Okay… looks like I'm heading down," he said.

Ada was moving underground now. A smart move – she'd be out of sight of satellite surveillance. If he wanted to catch up with her, there was no other choice but to follow her down into the tunnels.

"Hunnigan, Helena; the suspect is moving underground through the maintenance tunnels. I'm in pursuit. Copy?"

"Bzzzt… Leon… bzzzzzt…" He was getting nothing but static. His communications were being jammed somehow. Without any contact with his team, they'd have no way of knowing which direction he was heading in. Unfortunately, there was no time to think of another way.

Going to he knees, he grabbed the ladder and set his feet. The whole thing felt loose – like it hadn't been used in a long time. He had to be careful. Another train soon sounded its horn outside the warehouse. Vibrations once again began to shake the floor… and the ladder. Suddenly the bolts came loose and the ladder began to tilt.

"Oh shit…!" He gasped as he frantically reached out with his left hand and grabbed the opening with his fingers. Looking down, he saw the ladder fall to the ground with a crash roughly twenty feet below him. The vibrations from the train were causing his fingers to slip. Swinging himself upwards, he secured his right hand next to his left.

As he looked down once more to judge the best place to land, he soon felt a crushing pain in his left hand. He let out a grunt and looked up. **_He_** was standing there with his shoe on his fingers. His face and body were covered in blood. The well-groomed beard he always seemed to maintain was matted with pink-hued saliva.

"Simmons!" He gasped.

Derek Simmons looked down at him and kicked his right hand off the edge. "Do you want to live?" He growled. "Then beg! **_BEG FOR YOUR LIFE!_**"

"No…" he gasped as he tried to secure his grip. As he put his right hand up, Simmons kicked it away once more and continued to crush the fingers of his left. "You're dead! We killed you!"

He watched in horror as Simmons' foot came up and with a final stomp, Leon felt his fingers slip. He was falling… falling toward the streets of Lanshiang and there would be no stopping his descent. His eyes were wide as he stared at his attacker who was smiling down at him.

"She's mine, Leon! **_MINE!_**"

The next thing he felt was his body hitting the hard cement. The wind was knocked out of him; he was gasping for breath. With his senses coming back to him, he realized that he was lying at the bottom of the maintenance tunnel. Quickly reaching for his gun, he aimed upwards toward the opening. Simmons was gone. _Dammit! What in the hell was…?_ His heart was beating so hard he felt as if it would burst from his chest and for a moment, he felt disorientation take hold of him. _Lanshiang… No, this isn't Lanshiang…_ He was in a maintenance tunnel chasing after…

"Ada…" he said at last as he struggled to get to his feet. He was chasing after Ada Wong. She was down here with the virus. He had to pull himself together and find her.

Pulling the second Beretta from his holster, he began to follow the dimly-lit passage. His headset was still buzzing with noise. It was possible that she was carrying a portable jammer with her. If he could follow the static, perhaps he could find her. It was a long shot, but he had no other options available to him.

It was impossible to tell how far the tunnel before him stretched or how long he had been following it. Since he was out of contact with Hunnigan, he wouldn't be able to have her pinpoint his location on the city's schematics. _Damn it!_ This search was quickly turning into a hunt for a needle in a haystack. Here he was alone with no backup, and he had no idea which way Ada had gone. That static was the only company left to him along with his thoughts – and that part of him he could do without right now. _Simmons…_ No, he couldn't think about that. He had to keep his mind on the mission. He had to find Ada. Perhaps he was still on her trail.

_Now, where would I go if I was trying to escape from underground?_ Leon thought to himself. He quickly scanned the wall with his flashlight until the beam rested on the white letters – SURFACE ACCESS. The arrow was pointing further down the stretch of tunnel he was already following.

"Bingo," he whispered as he began to pick up momentum.

As he rounded the bend, the white noise suddenly grew louder. Quickly turning down the volume of his headset, he looked around the area before him. Further up near a junction box he saw a blinking red light. _What the hell…?_ Approaching cautiously, he saw an antenna attached to a small device – this was the jammer.

Grabbing the device, he quickly threw it to the floor and smashed it with his foot. Just as quick, his radio came to life with Helena's voice. "Repeat! Leon, where are you? Come on, please answer me!"

"Helena?"

"Leon? Oh, thank God!" She replied. "We're at the warehouse now. What's your location?"

"I'm in a maintenance tunnel that connects to the back of the warehouse. There was…" His voice trailed off when he heard the object hit the ground and roll. He knew exactly what it was – a grenade!

Suddenly the whole tunnel exploded with bright light. He hadn't had time to get his hands up to shield his eyes and now he couldn't see… or hear. _A flash bang… She's…_ A stinging blow took him to the back of the head and neck causing him to fall to his knees. He was trying to open his eyes, but everything was still a blur… until he saw a red shape approaching him. He tried to raise his left hand, but is movements were slow and heavy. A sharp kick landed into his wrist, and the gun flew from his hand.

The disorientation from the blast was beginning to subside, but as his wits returned to him, he quickly felt the cold kiss of steel to his temple. Looking from the corner of his eye he saw the stiletto heels and then her beautiful legs wrapped in the silky fabric of the red evening dress she was wearing.

"Keep your hands where I can see them and stand up. Now!"

Given the compromising position he found himself in, he did as she ordered. Once he was on his feet, she took the second Beretta from his right hand. Soon he heard the sound of the clip hitting the ground before she tossed the gun aside.

"Damn you, Leon!" Ada said. "I told you not to follow me!" He could hear frustration in her voice.

"You stole a highly volatile bio weapon, Ada. Did you really think I would just sit on my hands and let you take it?"

Keeping his body still, he slowly turned his head to look at her. Ada's brow was furrowed in anger as she stared at him with her gun still pressing against his head. His heart began to ache in his chest. It had only been two months since he had last seen her in China, but the longing always felt worse when they parted company. She looked so gorgeous in that lovely dress – a fine compliment to any man lucky enough to have her. How many times had he wished it would be him?

"I didn't want you to get involved here," she replied. Her face was expressionless. "There's more going on than you realize."

"Well, I am involved." He then looked at her gun. "Perhaps you can help me understand – like why you want to sell this virus?"

She responded by pressing the barrel even harder against his skull. It was enough to make him wince. "Ada…?" In that brief moment, he became concerned about her intentions.

"Tell me this, Leon," she said in an icy voice – one that he didn't recognize. "Since you are so convinced that I'm going to sell this virus, why shouldn't I just squeeze this trigger right now and empty your brains all over the walls?"

The way she had asked that question made his skin crawl. _What in God's name…? Ada?_ He stole a glace at her and saw the cold stare she was giving him. It was both indifferent and emotionless. As a tingle rolled down his back, he realized that this wasn't the flirtatious, vixen that he had been accustomed to seeing. No… this was her other half that she'd hidden from him – the cold, calculating half. This was the part of her that was both spy and assassin… and all deadly. In that moment, he realized that she wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he tried anything clever. His life was on the line with his response.

"I… I can't believe that you'd kill me, Ada. I know you. You… you care about me," he replied as calmly as he could while looking into her eyes. "If you had wanted me dead, you would have done it years ago. Lord knows that you've had plenty of opportunities, yet you continued to help me… to save me. You didn't kill me then, and I don't believe you will now. You care about me, Ada, because if you didn't…" He paused; unsure if he should say the rest. But as she watched him with no emotion in her eyes he knew that he had to play all the cards left in his hand. "Because if you didn't… you never would have had me."

She cocked her head and looked at him silently for a moment as if she was considering all that he had said. Then she spoke in that same indifferent voice. "I've had many men before you, Leon. What makes you think you're any different from them?"

What did she want from him? He didn't know nor did he understand what she was doing. Was she looking for him to provide a specific answer to her question? And if he didn't provide it, did she plan on following through with her threat to execute him? He'd never seen her this cold toward him before. But the one thing that he'd always been was honest when it came to her. He had never lied to her before, and he knew that she would accept nothing less than the truth from him.

"I'm different because I also care about you too, Ada Wong. I care about **_you_**. I've fought beside you; had your back when together we faced the horrors from Umbrella and Sadler to Simmons and Carla… all because I care about you. You say that you've had other men. I believe you, but yet you still come back to me. You come back because I believe you know deep within your hear that I'm genuine, and that I'm speaking the truth. I care about you, Ada, but if you don't believe me, then you go ahead and pull that trigger because I am **_not_** going to fight you."

"And if I made you beg to save your life?"

He grimaced as he quickly saw Simmons' face looking down at him. "Do you want to live? Then beg! **_BEG FOR YOUR LIFE!"_**

He looked her fully in the eyes before responding. "I didn't beg Simmons for his mercy, and I am not going to beg you! The Ada Wong I know would never demand that of me!" He felt his anger beginning to grow. He wanted this to be over. If she was going to shoot him, then he wanted her to get on with it because he knew that he'd never be able to bring himself to do the same.

Instead of the loud discharge he was expecting from her pistol, Ada gently removed the gun from his head and took a step back. "You're right, Leon. I wouldn't do that to you." She kept the Sig pointed at him but now she was smiling – a smile from the Ada he knew… and cared for. "A moment of truth between us, Leon – thank you," she said. "I would be denying the world a noble and honest man if I killed you. I know that I would lose sleep over that."

"You could have fooled me. But if you're not going to shoot me, why keep me under your gun?"

"Because I want you to fully understand my resolve in this matter, Leon. I want you to know how far I'm willing to go."

He looked at her and the gun pointed at his head. "Then help me understand, Ada. What's going on? Why did you steal this virus?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to sell it," she replied. "I'm simply using it as a bargaining chip. That's all."

"A bargaining chip?" He asked. "For what?"

Ada smiled at him again. "For life."

_For life?_ What was she talking about? Did she steal the T-Veronica virus because someone was out to kill her? If that was the case…

"Ada," he said, "if you're in trouble, I can protect you. Let me help."

She let out a soft chuckle. "Leon," she said. "My sweet, noble, Leon. It's not my life I'm speaking of… it's yours."

"What?" He was confused. "What do you mean…?"

**_"LEON!"_** Helena's voice was calling to him from the tunnels behind them.

"Helena?" He turned his head toward his partner's voice, but as he did, he soon heard the sound of heels echoing behind him.

"Ada, wait!" He called after her, but she had turned left at the end of the corridor and was gone. "Damn it!" What had she meant by **_'his'_** life? Was someone out to kill him? He didn't know what to make of any of that, and now his chance at finding any further answers was gone.

"Leon!?" Helena's voice called to him once more.

"I'm here, Helena," he replied as he leaned back against the wall and rubbed the bruise on his head.

Out from the adjoining tunnel came his partner and three D.S.O. agents. When his eyes caught hers, Helena immediately ran to him.

"Leon! Oh my God! Are you all right?" She asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he heard himself mutter. "She got the drop on me and took off further down the tunnel." He pointed in the direction Ada had run.

"We might still be able to apprehend her," said Agent Martinez. "Which direction was she heading, sir?"

"Down that corridor; she went right."

Leon felt himself grimace. He was crossing a dangerous line here. It was one thing to let Ada run off, but it was quite another to willfully lie to his teammates to facilitate her escape. That was border-line treason. Still, he believed what she had told him about there being a threat to his life. The woman was taking a great personal risk in an effort to help him. What could he say about himself if he didn't do the same?

"Okay. Martinez," Helena said, "Take Becker and Henderson with you and recon that tunnel. I'm going to see to it that Agent Kennedy makes it back to medical. Keep in contact with us and Agent Hunnigan so she can update your directions on your PDA."

"Got it," Martinez replied.

When the three agents headed off, Helena turned to look at him again. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Helena, really," he replied. "Ears are ringing a bit, but that's all."

"There's an ambulance back at the warehouse. Let's get you checked out," she said gently.

As the two of them began the long walk back toward the warehouse, Leon had the feeling that Helena was watching him. After a moment, he turned to look at her and confirmed his suspicions. Her brow was slightly furrowed as if she was studying him. He stopped.

"Is everything okay?"

She turned to face him and continued to silently stare for a moment. Her eyes seemed to be searching his for answers to unspoken questions. Then she spoke.

"You tell me, Leon. What really happened back there?"

He looked at her and was unsure of how to respond. Did she know what he had done, or was she fishing for answers? "What do you mean?"

"A woman in a red dress infiltrates a formal government meet-and-greet at Kassah Pharmaceuticals and ends up making off with one of the last samples of the T-Veronica virus. That was Ada Wong wasn't it?"

He sighed. There was no point in lying to her any further. "Yes… it was."

"Strange that all she did was to disarm you and make her escape. Given your history, I would have thought she would have stopped to make sure you were all right or at the very least speak to you."

"What are you asking me, Helena?"

Just then their earpieces came to life with Martinez's voice. "Agent Kennedy; Agent Harper."

Helena went to her earpiece, but kept her eyes solely focused on his when she did so. "Go ahead, Martinez."

"The maintenance tunnel on the east side ends at the rail hub underneath Pine Street. The lock is still on the door, and it doesn't look like it's been used for years. I don't think the suspect came this way, ma'am."

He saw her eyes turn cold as she stared at him. _Shit! She knows what I did! _

"Copy, Martinez," she replied. "Make your way to the surface and coordinate with Hunnigan and the DC Police. Determine all of the locations she could have made an exit west of your position. I'm going to check out another tunnel down here and then meet up with you."

When she let go of her earpiece, Helena's eyes were full of rage.

"Helena… wait," Leon said as he held out is hand.

"What did you do, Leon!?" She yelled as she slammed him back against the tunnel wall. **_"WHAT IN THE HELL DID YOU DO!?"_**

For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He had lied to his partner and the men under his command to protect a spy who he held feelings for. Worse, Helena was furious with him for his betrayal. Now he wondered if he would even be able to explain why it was he did what he did. Would she even believe him? Would he if he were in her position?

"Please… Helena, listen…" he didn't know what to say to her. How could he make her understand?

"You lied to me, Leon!" She yelled as she hit his chest. "I'm your partner. I trusted you, and you lied to me! Ada didn't go right, did she? **_DID SHE!?_** God damn it, why are you protecting her!?"

He grabbed her wrists to stop her. Ada had already kicked his ass once tonight, and he didn't relish the thought of getting into a fistfight with Helena.

"Listen to me!" He said forcefully. "I know what I've done, but she also told me what her intention was with the virus and why she stole it. She's going to use it as a bargaining chip to save someone's life."

Helena stopped struggling and looked at him. "Who?" She asked.

He looked down for a brief moment before looking back into her eyes. He wasn't sure how she would receive this, but he had no other choice. Not if he wanted to make her believe. "Me. I think she found out that there's a hit out on me."

She cocked her head and looked at him as if he had said the dumbest thing she had ever heard. Pushing herself from his grasp she yelled, "Leon! **_SHE – IS – MANIPULATING – YOU!_** And what's worse, you don't even see it, do you!?"

For a moment he looked at her dumbfounded. He hadn't considered that possibility. Could Ada have lied to him? He could remember the look in her eyes clear enough. Despite the coldness they held, there had also been a sense of desperation as well. No, she'd been telling him the truth. He believed her.

"No," he said at last. "No, I don't believe that. I saw it in her eyes, Helena. With everything she and I have been through together I… I trust her."

"You trust her?" He heard the sarcasm in her voice. "Why? Because she's **_sleeping_** with you!?"

Leon felt his eyes widen at her words. It felt as if she had just slapped him across the face. From her expression, he could sense how mad she still was, but he also knew that she hadn't meant to say those words to him. It was something she had said off the cuff out of anger… and jealousy. He knew that Helena liked him. And he liked her as well… but Ada. Ada was someone different – someone he desired. He'd never told Helena about his feelings for the Asian spy, but he sensed that the beautiful brunette standing before him already knew the truth. He would always turn to Ada before he would ever turn to her. He wasn't sure if that was a blessing… or a curse. Helena was a good woman. She was strong, intelligent… and she didn't take shit from anyone – including him. And she wasn't afraid to fight for what she believed in or who she cared about. He had realized that about her when she had led him to Tall Oaks Cathedral to save her sister Deborah. She was such a good friend. But in the end that was all he thought of her as – a friend. He had realized that she wanted more from him and that some of this anger she held right now was because of his continued desire for Ada. _Helena…_

She had turned her back to him and crossed her arms. Her posture still held her ire, but for the moment she was silent.

"Helena…"

"I'm sorry, Leon," she replied softly before he could say anything further. "I… I shouldn't have said that. That was cruel."

He stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. This had to be salvaged now, or he risked turning Helena against him. "You're angry with me and for good reason. It's alright, Helena… I deserved that."

"No, it's more than that, Leon. I… I've never trusted men easily. A lot of that was because of what I saw happen with Deborah's relationships. When you and I met in Tall Oaks, I didn't trust you either – but I needed your help."

"So what changed?" He asked.

"**_You_** were the one that changed **_me._** You followed me without question and had my back when we found my sister in the catacombs under the city. When she died, you helped me take down Simmons and clear my name. You did that on your own. I trusted you then, Leon. But now…"

"Helena," He replied, "you know that it wasn't just me that helped you defeat Simmons. Ada…"

"Ada was the one that killed him." She finished the sentence for him. "I know, and I owe her for saving our lives on that climb up the skyscraper, but Leon… she stole a highly volatile virus. How do you know she's not going to sell it?"

"I trust her, Helena," he replied without hesitation. "If she's telling me that my life is in danger, then I believe her. I wouldn't have let her go otherwise. I need you to trust me on this. Please."

Helena looked at him and then smiled for the first time that night. "She really has her hooks into you, doesn't she?"

"What do you mean?"

"You never did answer my question in Lanshiang when I asked if you had feelings for her. I guess I should ask this question instead – do you love her?"

It was a direct question he wasn't prepared for. To be honest, he wasn't exactly sure of what he felt for Ada. Was it all about the sex each time she had come to him, or was it something more? _Could_ there be something more? Would he want that if she offered it? He couldn't put his feelings into words.

"It's… complicated." He replied. It was a weak answer and he knew it.

She smiled. "Yes… I'm sure it is – a spy and a government agent... I just hope one day soon that Ada realizes how lucky she is. I had hoped that maybe I…" Her face was sad as she looked down; she let the sentence trail off.

He took her face in his hands. Turning her gaze upwards, he looked into her eyes. "Helena, you are a good woman and a good friend, and I have few of them." A sigh left his lips before he continued. "I've known Ada for a long time. It's always been her even before I met you. Even if I can never have her, it will always be her. Sometimes we aren't given a choice when our heart decides for us."

Her hands came up and rested on top of his. "You're right, Leon. I understand more than you know. Thank you for being honest with me about this."

"I won't lie to you again, Helena. I promise."

They stared at each other in that dimly lit tunnel. It was not long before he realized that their faces had come closer together. Her lips were right next to his. She was staring into his eyes as he did the same. _So close… what if…?_

He turned his face. "We… we should head back."

"Y-yeah… we should."

"We need to check in with Hunnigan and get a report on the search."

"'We're' not doing anything, Leon. You're going to get checked out at the hospital while **_I_** sort out what's happening with this operation." Helena turned and led the way. She was going to cover for him.

"Helena…" She stopped and turned to face him. "Thank you. I owe you one for this."

She smiled. "No, Leon, you don't. We're partners. I've got your back. Just… don't make me regret this."

He smiled in return. She was a good friend – one of the best. He was lucky to have her. If circumstances had been different maybe things could have been different between the two of them... Leon was quickly thrust from his thoughts when he noticed her staring at him. There was a look of alarm in her eyes.

"Leon? Your neck… it's bleeding."

His hand went to the wound near his right ear. He felt the sticky liquid pass between his fingers. When he pulled them away, there was blood… but mixed within the crimson red was specks of green.

"What the hell?"

**Downtown – New York City, NY**

**August 24****th**** 2013**

**20:58 EST**

Staring out the window of her penthouse room, Ada Wong took a sip of her Chardonnay and looked out on the bright night life of New York City. _Such an amazing view…_ she thought to herself as she placed her free hand on the window's glass. It always seemed to take her breath away whenever she stayed here.

Behind her, the laptop on the table began to beep; she'd been expecting this call. She tied the cord of her black and crimson night robe tight around her waist and moved to sit down at the chair. Letting the computer continue its protest at her inaction, she crossed her legs and took a long swallow from the rest of her glass before setting it down. Taking a strawberry from the bowl beside her, she put it between her teeth and gently bit it in half. As she did, she recalled what she had done with similar ones when she had last seen Leon. That caused a smile to tug at her lips as she stared at the laptop lying closed before her. After letting the machine beep for over a minute, she finally opened the screen and pushed the ENTER key. The digitally distorted face of her contact appeared on her screen.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to answer my call, Miss Wong. I trust your visit to DC met with success?" His voice was distorted as well – her contacts and clients alike always took great lengths to keep their anonymity.

"Yes, I have the T-Veronica virus as we agreed upon," she replied and then opened a small metal case to show him the product.

He was silent for a moment before adding, "And Agent Kennedy's blood sample?"

She hesitated for a moment, but then produced the vial that was being kept in a vacuum-frozen tube. "I have it, but tell me… what exactly do you need his blood for?"

"The details of our agreement do not concern you, Miss Wong."

"I believe that they do since I'm holding both the virus and that agent's blood in my hands. It would be a shame if something unfortunate were to happen to them."

The man on the other end of the computer paused before responding. "Perhaps you should reconsider your current posture, Miss Wong. May I remind you that it was you who contacted us for assistance? We provided you our price for our services, and now you would haggle with us? You will provide us with both the blood sample and the virus at the agreed upon meeting place, or else we will not assist you in the rescinding of the assassination order on Agent Leon Scott Kennedy."

Ada's eyes furrowed as she stared at the screen. The whole purpose of what she had done was to remove the hit on Leon. But then why did her contact what his blood sample? Something didn't feel right, but she also had no other options available to her if she was going to protect him.

"Very well. I'll meet you at the drop point **_after_** I confirm that the order has been removed."

"We will make it happen then, Miss Wong. However, I must say that I find it very odd that you are attempting to save the life of a government agent that has been after you for years."

It wasn't any of this man's business why she wanted to save Leon, but she'd been in the game long enough to know sometimes she had to give answers to protect herself… and him.

"He saved my life in China during the Lanshiang outbreak," she replied. "I repay my debts."

"Very well then, we'll look forward to seeing you."

The transmission ended. With that, she leaned back and let out a sigh. Gently cracking her neck, she stood and returned to her view at the window.

_The solitary life of a spy._ As thrilling as the missions that she chose were, at the end of the day, she was always like this – alone. Some nights the loneliness would be worse than others. Tonight was one of those nights. What she needed was a man – one that she could bed down and have her way with. Her first thoughts went to Leon, but he was back in DC. Most likely he would want nothing to do with her after what she had done to him. She'd attacked him, threatened him, and then left… just like she always did. Would he want to see her again after all of that? She'd hated to scare him like she had, but she also knew that she had to make him fully understand her resolve or else he might have tried to stop her – stop her from saving his life. The unfortunate irony was not lost on her. She'd give him a week – maybe two. Then she would show up and give him as much cosseting as he desired to help erase from his memory what she had done to him. Her hope was that he would forgive her.

In a few months time she'd be forty-years-old. Even though she didn't look a day over thirty, she began to truly wonder if it was all worth it anymore. What was she truly fighting for? Was it for the money? She had earned plenty of that over the years – more than enough to settle down some place and live a comfortable life. Why was she still doing this? The answer seemed to elude her. Perhaps it was just her nature – to be an alpha female living on her own in a world dominated by men. But then why did she hate being alone at night? Why did she find genuine joy when she was with him?

In the tunnel, Leon had been right about her. She **_did_** care about him. And ever since Paris she **_did_** keep coming back to him. Of all the men she'd had in her life, she kept coming back to **_him. _** He was such a good and noble man, and she had believed him when he had said that he cared about her, too. Her skin had begun to flush at his words. It pained her to even think of it, but he did deserve better than her. With that, she sighed.

Placing her hand on the window, she gently leaned her head against the pane and closed her eyes. Letting her ears listen, she heard the distant sounds of the city in the distance. The cool glass kissed her forehead and allowed her a moment of respite from her tortured thoughts. His face was all that she could think of; his face with no judgments being made against her – just the genuine desire in his eyes, and the gentleness of his touch.

"Leon…" she whispered. A smile formed on her face at her mention of his name – she had her answer.

What she didn't know was that over two hundred miles away in the nation's capital a certain D.S.O agent that she was fond of was standing at the window of his own apartment… thinking of her.


End file.
